Green Beans and Tomatoes

David volunteered me for Green Bean Casserole for Christmas Dinner at his Aunts.  I had slight issue with this since I don't really do Green Bean Casserole.  Turns out he just said that I made Green Bean Casserole at Thanksgiving.  I had seen this other recipe in Ambrosia, the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary cookbook I received as a going away present so I decided to give it a try instead.  It was a success.  Big win, I enjoyed it!! The vegetable eaters all seemed to really like it... and David's father's comment was "This isn't your mother's green be casserole". :)

Green Beans and Tomatoes
adapted from Ambrosia, by the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary

Ingredients
2 lbs fresh green beans
1/4 cup butter (I would look at oil for next time I make this)
2 tbl sugar
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
several fresh basil leaves torn and chopped
1-1.5 pints grape tomatoes chopped

Methods
Trim the ends of the green beans and remove strings.  Boil in a large saucepan for about 20 minutes and drain.

melt the butter (or oil) in a skillet.  Add the minced garlic and begin to saute to infuse the garlic taste.  Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and basil.  Add tomatoes and cook until slightly softened.  Toss the green beans and tomato sauce.

Roman Green Beans

For Thanksgiving I put myself in charge or providing a vegetable for David’s dad and I. Rather than the so-called traditional green bean casserole I went with a fancy fresh green bean dish from a “not so humble vegetables’ cookbook I picked up years ago.

Materials:
Olive oil
1 lb green beans
4 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 thick slices prosciutto
3 tbl pine nuts, toasted
1 ½ tbl lemon juice
Several sprigs of thyme
Methods:
First, I toasted the pine nuts on the stove. Meanwhile I broiled the slices of prosciutto until they got crispy. I cleared the prosciutto of grease and shredded it into bite sized pieces. Next the mushrooms were sautéed in a deep skillet on medium-high to high with the olive oil for about a minute. I added the green beans and cooked for about 5 minutes until they were just tender and cooked yet still crunchy. I added the prosciutto, pine nuts, lemon juice and thyme and toasted to coat and heat. Served and enjoyed J

Verdict:
Served and enjoyed pretty much summed this up. I enjoyed that it was the traditional green bean of thanksgiving, and it was even cooked in the traditional southern manner of adding pork product to your beans -- however this was fresh and tasty to say the least! I gave it two giant thumbs up!! I have several other fancy green bean recipes I want to try from various cookbooks, or I would certainly repeat it at the next fancy, or not so fancy, event.

Mexican Minestrone

I'm Back!  maybe not better, but I'm back at least.

Its been a bit of a hiatus.  After moving I discovered several excuses for not cooking.  Namely, i Hate my kitchen in my apartment.  The oven constantly sets of the smoke alarm when there is nothing smoking, and the burners aren't really fine tuned in terms of high-medium-low.  Over the past couple of months, I've ruined a few easy dishes, quit cooking, and returned to cooking.  Excuse number two:  It is hot in the kitchen.  I miss central air, and my kitchen is decidedly not well ventilated.  Final excuse:  my boyfriend is anti produce.  Something about vegetables bringing death at an earlier age or something?  If you recall my Lenten attempt at vegetarianism, this is a bit of an issue.  But, I've rallied the troops and we're back on track.  I'm starting off with something easy, out of my favorite kitchen gadget, the crockpot.  Its not full of fresh veggies from a farmers market, but its a step into the right direction.

Materials

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cans stewed Mexican tomatoes

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

1 cup salsa

1 can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup salsa

1 cup frozen green beans

2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped

Methods

Combine all ingredients and cook on high in slow cooker for 7-9 hours and Enjoy!

Verdict

I cooked this overnight to eat for lunch this week.  I woke up at 3 AM and couldn't fall back to sleep because the smell was so enticing!  Despite being full of canned goodness, it didn't fail to delight.  It was about as yummy as it smelled and it was fully of yummy, fiber filled bean, tomato, and soupy goodness.  a recipe for happiness!  Plus,for the WW crowd it is about 4 points for a serving (recipe makes 6-8 servings). 

Stay tuned for more food updates.  I'm traveling a lot for work so it might be a little far and few between for the next few weeks, but I'm back to sauteing away!